Cercocarpus betuloides

Last updated

Mountain mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides blancheae.JPG
var. blancheae in fruit
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Cercocarpus
Species:
C. betuloides
Binomial name
Cercocarpus betuloides
Nutt. 1840
Cercocarpus betuloides range map 3.png
Natural range of Cercocarpus betuloides
Synonyms [1]

Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber (S. Watson) F.L. Martin

Contents

Cercocarpus betuloides is a shrub or small tree in the rose family. [2] Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany [2] [3] The common name "mahogany" comes from the hardness and color of the wood, although the genus is not a true mahogany. [2]

Description

Growth pattern

Cercocarpus betuloides is a shrub or small tree growing from 3 to 30 feet (0.91 to 9.14 m). [2] [4] Its branches are incised and muscular in appearance from the side. In cross section they appear lobed.

Common shrub associates within the chaparral community include toyon. [5]

Leaves and stems

The leaves are distinctive in that they have smooth edges from the base to about halfway up, then are wavy or toothed to the rounded tip. [2]

Betula is the birch genus, and the species name refers to the birch-like leaves. [2]

Inflorescence and fruit

The white flowers are small, clustered, and mildly scented, similar to acacia. [2]

The fruit is a tubular achene with the long, plumelike flower style still attached.

The genus name comes from the Greek kerkos ("tail"), referring to the tail-like appearance of the fruit; and carpus ("fruit"), thus, "fruit with tail".

Taxonomy

There are three varieties: [6] [7]

Cercocarpus betuloides is sometimes treated as a part of Cercocarpus montanus , [12] var. glaber in particular. [13]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to California, Baja California, Oregon, Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. [14] It typically grows in summer dry areas of the foothills and mountains of California, often in chaparral communities. [2]

Ecology

Deer, cattle and sheep browse the plant. [15]

Uses

The reddish[ citation needed ] wood of the shrub is very hard and was traditionally used by the indigenous peoples of California to make arrow tips, fishing spears, and digging sticks. [2]

Cercocarpus betuloides is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty nurseries for planting in native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens; and in designed natural landscaping projects and habitat restoration programs. [16] [17]

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List, Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber (S.Watson) F.L.Martin
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170
  3. ↑ Calflora taxon report, University of California, Cercocarpus betuloides Torrey & A. GrayMountain mahogany, birch leaf mountain mahogany . accessed 2.28.2015
  4. ↑ Abrams, L. (1951). Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press. 874 pages ISBN   0-8047-0004-4
  5. ↑ Hogan, C. M. (2008). Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). Archived July 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg.
  6. ↑ "Cercocarpus betuloides". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  7. ↑ Cercocarpus betuloides. CalFlora.
  8. ↑ Cercocarpus betuloides var. blancheae. The Jepson Manual, 2012.
  9. ↑ Cercocarpus betuloides var. blancheae. CalFlora.
  10. ↑ Cercocarpus betuloides var. macrourus. The Jepson Manual, 2012.
  11. ↑ Cercocarpus betuloides var. macrourus. CalFlora.
  12. ↑ Cercocarpus montanus. NatureServe. 2012.
  13. ↑ Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber. USDA PLANTS . accessed 2.28.2015
  14. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  15. ↑ Whitney, Stephen (1985). Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. p.  388. ISBN   0-394-73127-1.
  16. ↑ Las Pilitas Horticulture Database: Cercocarpus betuloides (Mountain Mahogany) . accessed 2.28.2015
  17. ↑ Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network−NPIN: Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber (Smooth mountain mahogany) . accessed 2.28.2015
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.